Feeling Sporty?
by Hime no Ichigo
Summary: [Chapter 5 Up!] Basically the gang's being occupied with sports in their summer vacation. And what an awesome idea to write that with a side dish of YamixYuugi, BakuraxRyou, MarikuxMalick, SetoxJou and Anzu bashing! Please R&R!
1. Reunion in Summer

Princess Strawberry: Hi! It's me again with another brilliant flash of imagination for a new story. And thank you to Fallen Hikari, compugeek, Neo Qwerty, Pheonix Pandora, randomasdf, Seventh Sage, Burning-Yami-Rain, and Raven for putting me on their "Favourite Authors" List! 

Yami Strawberry: My aibou doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh, nor its characters. So don't sue her, or I will be locked in the Millennium Watch again

~*~ "Speaking"

'Thinking'

_stress of word_

/Yugi speaking to Yami telepathically/

//Yami speaking to Yugi telepathicaly//

\Ryou speaking to Bakura telepathically\

\\ Bakura speaking to Ryou telepathically\\

=Malik speaking to Marik telepathically=

==Marik speaking to Malik telepathically==

((Us interrupting you readers for a few seconds))

Princess Strawberry: Well, enough of that. May I introduce you to

Feeling Sporty?

"Hey, Bakura!" a cheerful voice yelled excitedly as he ran towards the subject.

"Hi, Yugi," Bakura replied wearily, with Ryou beside him smiling and waving.

Yugi smiled back, rushing up to them with Yami in tow. He gave both of them a big hug. Surprisingly Bakura didn't retort or anything as Yugi hugged him. Hmm...strange. "Where are the others?" the holder of the Millennium Puzzle asked curiously.

"Ah, talk of the devil," Ryou observed as Joey ran up. Tristan and Serenity walked at a more leisurely pace behind Joey, talking lowly to each other. Every now and then Serenity would dissolve into giggles and cause Tristan to smile. Mai and Duke were bringing up the rear with a hyper Mokuba, who was pratically pushing and pulling his big brother, Seto Kaiba, to come join the group.

"And where's - AHHH!!" Ryou screamed, unable to finish his sentence. "MALIK!"

"What?" Malik blinked, trying to look innocent - which, by the way, had failed horribly.

"Why did you poke me? You knew I was sensitive!" Ryou growled and pouted.

"Because of that weakness, Ryou, that's why we did it. Oh, and long time no see, Bakura." A bright flash emitted from somewhere around Malik's waist. There stood Marik, smirking, as everyone stared at him. The tanned Egyptian spirit of the Millennium Rod had his arm around Malik's waist in a casual manner.

"We left you two for a year and this is the result?" Yami exclaimed, looking ready to faint.

They both nodded.

"So what really motivated you to come back to Domino?" Yugi inquired.

"Well, you see - "

"HI, EVERYBODY!" an annoying voice shouted, coming nearer and nearer towards them to reveal...

Téa.

You know, the self-centered, always ranting idiotic girl? Yeah, that's the one.

"Er...hi!" Téa didn't seem to notice the reluctance in their voices, so she continued to gossip. Soon she had the whole group asleep, the spirit of summer vacation dampened.

"Oh, for the love of Ra, Téa, SHUT UP and DON'T SPOIL OUR SUMMER SPIRITS!!" Yami exploded, finally losing it.

"Okay, Yami-kun!" Téa obeyed readily, drifting off into la-la-land. Yami recoiled slightly as he received an adored look from Téa.

"Right...going on. You still haven't answered Yugi's question," Tristan reminded the whole group.

"Oh, that. Well, you see - " Marik began.

"Yes, we heard that part. Go on," Mai prompted.

"If nobody interrupts me or him," Marik pointed to his hikari. "Then maybe we can move on. Do I make myself clear?" He suddenly sounded like a war leader.

"Yes, sir!"

"Good," he took in a deep breath. "Malik and I decided to come back because it's summer, school was hectic, Isis was going ballistic over his grades - "

"Yes, I would have passed if _someone_ hadn't distracted me while I was doing my homework and writing my tests!" Malik glared at his yami.

A huffing noise was heard. "Whatever. Picking up from where I left off...Ah ha! We missed our friends - "

"You have friends?" Yami raised an eyebrow.

/That's mean, Yami./ Yugi scolded the spirit of the Puzzle mentally.

//Anything to annoy them, aibou. Anything to annoy them.// And imagine that, he was correct.

Marik's eyebrow was twitching so much it looked like it had disappeared into his hairline. "Pharaoh, I'm warning you...one more word and - " he made a slicing motion across his neck to demonstrate the consequence.

"Fine," the word was mouthed.

"So," Joey spoke up hastily, changing the topic. "How was everyone? We've been apart for so long I've lost count."

"It's only been a year, big brother," Serenity replied softly, but everyone else heard it nonetheless.

"I knew that!"

"Betcha didn't, mutt." One guess at the speaker.

"Watch it!" Joey warned the millionnaire.

"Whatever," Seto shrugged.

\Those two will make a really nice couple. Like the way they argue? They're like husband and wife.\

A snort resounded in Ryou's mind, making him wince. \\ You've got a point there.\\

\Of course, don't I always?\ Grin.

"Hello, earth to Ryou!" Duke waved a hand in front of the white-haired boy.

Ryou blinked. "Err...I guess I would start off then. School was the same, and yeah, the usual."

"The usual?" Everyone was confused.

Ryou blushed. "Err...well..."

"To put it simply, I admitted to him that I love him," Bakura informed them bluntly, wrapping his arms around his hikari's slim waist to prove that he wasn't kidding.

Everyone's jaws dropped open in surprise. They were happy for the both of them. Except for a certain somebody (namely Téa) just had to comment rudely on it.

"EWWWWW!!"

The rest glared at her. Ryou was still blushing like a tomato and Bakura's cheeks were tainted pink. A very rare sight for the others; but not to Ryou.

"Well, Yami had been looking after the Turtle Game Shop since Grandpa left for another Egyptian dig and I've been attending school just like always," Yugi took up. "But since Grandpa's back, and it's summer, he let us out and have some fun."

"More people has been coming to my shop, buying new games, and some wanted me to teach them Dungeon Dice Monsters," Duke said, recounting those beautiful memories.

"I've finally accomplished my greatest dream: being a model." Mai flipped her hair, looking proud of herself.

"That's great, Mai!" Yugi applauded along with the others.

"Seto's been busy all year, managing the company and going to school, and I, well, let's just say that I've been attending school as well," Mokuba grinned at his goofy answer.

"Serenity got her sight back, you all know that. And you know me, always pigging out..."

"Yeah, and Serenity's promised to go out with me!" Tristan cried excitedly.

"Congratulations, Tristan!" Ryou said.

Nobody even bothered to ask Téa about what she's done over the year; but she had decided to make herself known. 

"Ahem."

The others turned around and saw her put her hands on her hips, looking slightly angry. "Yes?"

"You've forgotten about me." She pointed to herself, thinking that she looked really important.

"So?" Was the group's simple response.

Téa grew frustrated. "How dense are you people!? You're all so stupid!" And how she regretted those words once it slipped out of her mouth.

Tristan, Joey, Yami, Bakura, Malik, and Marik tackled her as she continued to insult the group. Shouts like "Yeah, go get her, Yami!" and "Beat her up!" came from the cheering group. When they were done, Téa looked like someone who was trampled hurriedly over repeatedly; like when you make a mad dash towards the exit in a movie theater to find the doors locked and you can't get out. 

The fighters high-fived each other, congratulating themselves for beating up the annoying girl. However, the two hikaris had different ideas on how to spend their first day of their holiday.

"Yami!" they both scolded their counterparts. "That wasn't very nice. Especially on the first day of summer vacation. Did you have to do that?"

"Ah, come on! You know Téa deserved it, right, fellas?" Bakura consulted his fellow companions.

"For once I have to agree with the Tomb Robber," Yami added.

Yugi and Ryou decided to stop any violence that might start again. "How about badminton?"

"What about badmintion?"

"I mean, that we spend our vacation based on sports! First stop, the badminton court!"

~ To be Continued ~

Authoress' Notes:

Princess Strawberry: Pretty short, ne? Yes, all my default chapters are short so you shouldn't blame me. Well, not much to say, except to say that I'm starting history (music theory) and I won't be able to update as quickly....not that I update quickly now....^^;;

Yami Strawberry: That's right. So you know how the saying goes: More reviews, more stories/chapters!


	2. Badminton

Princess Strawberry: O.O 21 reviews!? For one chapter ONLY!? WOW!!

Yami Strawberry: Yes, she's highly shocked by this bit of information.

Princess Strawberry: ^__^ And I'm in such a good mood I feel like saying the disclaimer. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters. All I own is the plot, ok? And if you people read the summary before you clicked on this, then you would know that it would contain yaoi [YYxY, BxR, SxJ, and MxM fluff] and Téa bashing. Alright? 

~*~ "Speaking"

'Thinking'

_stress of word_

/Yugi speaking to Yami telepathically/

//Yami speaking to Yugi telepathicaly//

\Ryou speaking to Bakura telepathically\

\\ Bakura speaking to Ryou telepathically\\

=Malik speaking to Marik telepathically=

==Marik speaking to Malik telepathically==

((Us interrupting you readers for a few seconds))

Feeling Sporty?

The big looming building of the sports centre towered over the four gawking teenagers, namely Yami, Bakura, Malik, and Marik. The rest grinned at their shock-struck faces.

"Wow," Marik breathed out in awe.

"You think this is cool enough?" Tristan raised an eyebrow. "Man, you will have to most definitely check out the inside!" With that said, they trooped inside and the same four gawking teenagers gasped in surprise.

The inside was in a flurry of movement. A huge marble counter was settled on the left side, with several ladies sitting behind it, fingers flying over the keyboard and eyes roaming the computer screen. Other people ranging from the ages five to forty-two were running around to different rooms, others walking calmly with a towel draped over their shoulders, looking refreshed. Yugi and Ryou, being the most familiar with the place, walked up to the counter with the others following, and began a conversation with the young girl sitting behind it. She looked bored as the boys continued to drone on and on. A loud POP issued from her mouth as her bubble gum burst. She looked from one to another. Three of them had an older, much more hotter almost identical twins. She marvelled at the close resemblance a little too long. So only the words "we would like to play badminton" got through to her brain. Her eyes snapped more wide open and were filled with interest.

"Badminton?" she sat up abruptly, fingers on the keyboard immediately, ready to type.

"Yes, badminton," Ryou repeated. "Any more courts left?"

"We'll see. How many people?" her eyes darted from one line to another on the computer screen.

"Twelve."

"Room 104. Fourth door on the right. Here's your key, mister. Enjoy," she finished boredly.

"Thank you!" Yugi thanked her brightly. She nodded quietly, the corners of her mouth threatening to twitch upwards. Ah...the magic of a simple gesture.

Ryou, the one who holds the key, went immediately to a door. Oh, imagine that, it was room 104, and inside were four courts, big enough to play doubles.

"Alright, you guys know how to play, so why don't you get a head start while we teach our yamis?" Yugi added hastily after Malik glared at him. "And Malik and his yami, of course. We'll occupy these two courts while you play on those two. Meet you, um...let's say, thirty minutes if all goes well."

Clangs of metal were heard as Duke and Mai heaved out a rack full of badminton rackets. There was a sudden mad dash to the newest item and the little bucket beside it.

Mokuba, being the youngest, sat on the side bench as his big brother and the others warmed up. A light bulb turned on a light in his head as an idea came to him. He stood up and tugged at Seto's light blue T-shirt sleeve.

"Big brother," he used his puppy dog eyes, knowing that Seto can never disagree. "Can I be the referee?"

Seto chanted a mantra inside his head about not looking into those big eyes. Figuring that there was no more noise, he opened his eyes, thinking that it was safe. That was a big mistake. Mokuba's lower lip was quivering, eyes filled with fake tears.

"Pwweeasse!!" (Please!)

"No."

"Come on! Don't be such a big meanie!" Mokuba whined.

"No, Mokuba. I can't risk you getting hurt," Seto said firmly, yet his confidence was starting to waver. The puppy dog eyes were taking effect.

While this argument was well under-way, Yugi and Ryou were trying their very best to teach the Egyptians how to play badminton. The rules were very simple; and before their patience snapped, they moved on to the equipments. They each held one in their right hand (pretend they are all right-handed) and were looking confused. That is, until Marik started doing something stupid.

"MARIK!!" Ryou hollered, silencing the whole room. They stared at him, and Marik paused his pose in mid-air. "STOP FOOLING AROUND WITH THAT RACKET AND GET YOUR BUTT BACK HERE!!"

Marik obeyed his command readily, though still grumpy that his fun had been interrupted. 

"Alright, to start off, hold your racket sideways, so the part with the strings faces your opponent, and the metal rim faces upwards," Yugi instructed, taking over for Ryou, since he was still recovering from his loud outburst. "Now, we'll practise the swinging motion. When you send the birdie," he held up the plastic...thing...up for them to see. "Over the net, swing your racket like so..." and away went the birdie. "Do you understand?" he turned back to the group, who was looking a bit astounded and confused. 

"No," Malik finally found his voice. "I mean, I get the equipments and all, but what I don't understand is the rules." He added hastily as Yugi glared at him with his narrowed violet eyes. Creepy.

"The rules!?" Ryou cried in disbelieve. "Those were the easiest things to understand!"

"Well, sorry, we don't get it and that's that!" Marik retorted. "OWW!!" he turned around swiftly as Bakura started whistling innocently. "Bakura! What did you do that for!?" he growled.

"Be nice to my hikari or suffer the consequences," Bakura hissed back.

"Hey, you two, enough with the arguing. Alright, Malik, if you still do not understand the rules, I'll explain it one more time. First, if you are the server, you stand on the right side of your half court and serve. Simple enough?"

"Could you demonstrate?"

"Fine," Ryou grumbled. "Hey, Yugi, can you give me a hand here?"

Yugi looked up at the sound of Ryou's voice. "Coming!" he called. He lowered his voice, and said sweetly to Yami, "Hang on, Yami. I'll be right back." He jogged away and within a minute he came back. Yami took the time to admire his beautiful hikari's lithe body. 

'No, Yami! Stop having bad thoughts about Yugi. Bad Yami! BAD!!'

He came back a little too soon to his liking.

"What happened?"

"Oh, Ryou just wanted me to help him show Malik how you're serving the birdie. Now, before we were interrupted, I was explaining that if your serve didn't go over the net, you lose the serve and then your partner gets a shot at it. He or she would be standing where you were standing, so basically it's just switching places. Of course, that applies when you play doubles. But if it's singles, then the birdie is automatically given to your opponent. Ready to try some serves?"

Yami nodded and stood up, straightening out his black t-shirt and black knee-short shorts. ((Me: Those types of pants that only goes down to your knees, but isn't rolled up and all. Don't know what that's called so I'm making up a name for it, alright? Oh, and those shorts aren't tight. Sorry about that.)) Yugi followed suit, only that his shirt is a light purple with dark blue shorts. Both the Millennium Puzzle holders wore black headbands. 

Yugi stood on the other side of the net, waiting for the serve. "Remember, Yami, smooth movements!" 

"Gotcha!" Yami took in a deep breath, stood at where he was supposed to, and served.

SPLAT. The birdie hit the net and fell limply to the ground, still on Yami's side.

"Not bad for the first time," Yugi encouraged. "To grasp the full meaning of the serve, I'll help you." He ducked under the net and scooted to where Yami was standing. He took hold of Yami's right hand - the one which held the racket, mind you - and his left hand took hold of the one that held the birdie. He started swinging Yami's arm and at the same time he kept muttering, "Weight transfer. Weight transfer."

So these two continued practising serving, while Ryou was desperately trying to make the two remaining Egyptians understand. Bakura, the more serious one than the other two, moved on and joined Yugi and his yami. That left Ryou alone with two of the most disagreeable people.

\\ Do you want Yugi to come over to help you?\\

\Oh, I don't want to trouble him. Besides, he seems to be having fun with his yami over there.\

\\ Yes, well, the sooner those two understand we can get the games rolling!\\

\Knew there was an alternative motive. Alright, send Yugi over. But don't even THINK about starting anything with Yami, or you are so dead.\

\\ I'm so scared...\\

\Shut up.\

\\ Fine.\\ Bakura motioned to Yugi.

"Yes, Bakura?"

"Could you help Ryou over there? The sooner those two dumbos learn this stuff the better."

"Be nice, Bakura. But alright...don't pick a fight with Yami while I'm gone, though! Or you are so going down."

'Why does everyone thinks that _I_ would start something like that? First Ryou, then the Pharaoh's brat?' Bakura fumed as he sat down on the ground, waiting for them to finish.

A loud triumphant "AHHA! I TOLD YOU SO!" rang out in that little corner over there and Yami and Bakura inched closer to see what the commotion was about. 

"Looks like they finally got the hang of it," Yami observed dryly.

"Gee, you just noticed?" Bakura shot back sarcastically.

"DON'T YOU TWO START!" Yugi and Ryou bellowed sharply at them.

"Eep! Sorry!" The two yamis scooted back to their original spots, a bit terrified at their lights' behaviour. 

"There we go! Now you're getting the hang of it!" Everyone applauded each other. 

"Let's get playing!" Ryou shouted, grabbing his racket, birdie, and yami.

"I'm with you!" Yugi took hold of his racket, birdie, and yami. "Let's see...who do you want to play against, Yami?"

"How about Duke and Tristan?" he suggested.

"OK!" Yugi said happily, bouncing along the court. Yami shook his head a little, chuckling at the sudden change to childish behaviour. 

((Me: And you would probably guess that I'm too lazy to type out how the games went, but I'll tell you this: YAMI AND YUGI WON!! 

Yami Strawberry: Well, no duh! They're the King of Games!

Me: I know...feeling pathetic right now. v_v *sniff*))

"Whew, those were really tough!" Mai rubbed the sweat off of her forehead. "I've really exercised for a whole month!"

"Do you think Téa is alright?" Yugi asked the group anxiously. 

"Don't worry, getting a hit on the head by a birdie won't damage Téa's brain cells _that_ much," Duke replied. The others thought, 'If she even have _any_ brain cells at all, that is.'

"Well, I'm going to call it quits today," Malik spoke up, leaning on his yami, thoroughly exhausted.

"Same. See ya people around," he disappeared back into the Millennium Rod in a puff of yellow light.

The others blinked. "Well, that was a little abrupt. We'll see you tomorrow, yes?" Ryou asked.

"Of course, Ryou. Later now!" Yugi called as he dragged his yami out of the room, aching to take a good shower at home.

"Guess I'll head home too," Joey scratched the back of his head, and headed out in the same direction Yami and Yugi took.

"Come on, Mokuba. The limo's waiting," Seto commanded, standing up and brushing off the dirt. 

"Coming!"

The rest of the gang headed to their own houses. The first thing Ryou got home was to call Yugi.

"Moshi moshi! [1] Motou residence, Yugi speaking."

"Yugi! Hey, this is Ryou. I just called to see what we'll do tomorrow."

"Umm...that's a difficult question," Yugi propped his chin by his hands and looked at the wall thoughtfully. ((Me: KAWAII!!))

"How about..."

~ To be Continued ~

[1] Moshi moshi, in English, means "hello" when you speak in the phone.

Authoress' Notes:

Princess Strawberry: That was not a cliffhanger, people. I just want to encourage you to tell me which sport I should write about next. Here are your choices:

1. Basketball

2. Volleyball

3. Beach volleyball

4. Swimming

5. Soccer

Read and Review, minna-san! And have a fantastic March Break! ^________^


	3. Swimming Pool Part I

Princess Strawberry: *eyes sparkle* Thank you so much, minna-san! I had absolutely NO idea how much you guys like this story! *glomps reviewers* Honestly, I have never achieved 53 reviews in two single chapters! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! 

Yami Strawberry: -___-;; Alright, that's quite enough. Get a hold of yourself, aibou, and start the story. You wouldn't want to scare away the readers, right?

Princess Strawberry: Of course not! But yeah...hang on. I need to thank YamisGal, VegetasGurl, Nicola Meskhenet, chibi-ai, and ShadowYamiQueen for putting me on their "Favourite Authors" list. Arigato! It seems like that everyone wants swimming for the sake of seeing them in swimming suits...*drools* I will have to admit, they do allow you to expand your imagination. ^____~ Gomen for the late update...and now, on with the story!

~*~ "Speaking"

'Thinking'

_stress of word_

/Yugi speaking to Yami telepathically/

//Yami speaking to Yugi telepathicaly//

\Ryou speaking to Bakura telepathically\

\\ Bakura speaking to Ryou telepathically\\

=Malik speaking to Marik telepathically=

==Marik speaking to Malik telepathically==

((Us interrupting you readers for a few seconds))

Feeling Sporty?

Yami sat down on one of the hard seats of the swimming place, his swimming bag being thrown carelessly on the seat beside him, and watched through the glass as children splashed each other, looking happy. He heaved a sigh. He didn't quite forgive his aibou, yet who could resist those adorable puppy dog eyes?

*Flashback*

"Yah..." Yugi yawned. His hand smacked something plushy beside him. "Eh...Oops..." The light half of the Millennium Puzzle sweatdropped as his darker half emerged from the blanket with a scowled face. "Eh...good morning, Yami."

Yami blinked as realization dawned on him. Yugi, his light, his cute little aibou, had smacked him on the face as a morning greeting!

"Aibou..." Yami growled. "Why did you do that for!?"

"That was by accident, Yami! I didn't mean it!" He did his puppy dog face. "Besides, I promised Ryou and the others that we'll meet them at the swimming pool today. Come on, it's only morning...how are you going to last throughout the day with that face of yours?"

Yami blinked. They were going to the pool? He didn't know that...

Yugi took the opportunity of Yami thinking and got out of bed, heading for the closet. He pulled out two small swimming bags, and stuffed a pair of trunks and a towel into each of them. "Hey, Yami! It's eight-thirty now! We have to be there at nine! Let's go!" Yugi bounced out the door and down the stairs, greeting his Grandpa in a high energetic voice.

Yami shook his head and dressed. 

*End of Flashback*

A mass of black tinged with magenta blocked Yami's vision. A weight was deposited on his lap as the creature continued to sit there. Yami blinked furiously. Didn't his hikari say he was going to the bathroom? He wasn't gone for more than two minutes and now he's back? He tapped the person gently on the shoulder, but they didn't turn around. The person just giggled and continued to look at the children splashing water at each other in the pool. Yami was confused. His aibou would answer him...right?

//Aibou, why are you sitting on my lap?//

/No, I'm not./ Yugi sounded surprised. /I'm still in the bathroom./

//Really?//

/Yes. Why do you ask?/

//Err...no reason. Just wondering.//

/Really?/

//Yes. It's fine. I'll get rid of it.//

/Alright. I'm calling Ryou afterwards. Now, are you sure about handling this alone?/

//YES.//

/Fine. I'll leave you to it. Don't cause TOO much trouble, though./ Yami sighed mentally. His aibou could be really mother-ish sometimes. He roughly turned the person in front of him around and gasped. This person had bright cerulean blue eyes and shoulder length brown hair. That could only mean one thing...

Yami dropped Téa on the ground and ran screaming like a banshee towards the entrance. Téa, recovering from the unexpected fall, took off after him. That began the great chase. 

Yugi walked calmly out of the men's washroom and into a phone booth. He inserted a quarter and quickly dialed Ryou's cell phone.

Hey, Yugi. Don't worry, we're almost there. I had to literally drag Bakura for three blocks before he finally surrendered and decided to walk on his own. Why don't you and Yami go into the pool first? We'll be there shortly. We includes the others as well.

Alright, Ryou. See you in a couple of minutes. Bye.

See ya.

Yugi blinked as a blur of black, crimson, yellow, and blue flashed past him. Followed by a mass of brown, pink, and blue. Not to mention flesh. Hmm...wonder what's that? He gave his head a little shake to clear his vision. It cleared to reveal Yami being chased by Téa. 

"Leave me alone, Téa!" Yami yelled as he passed by the front doors for the sixth time.

"NO!" she squealed as she ran after him like a mad fangirl.

"Leave him alone, Téa," Yugi interrupted quietly. They both stopped and turned to look at the person who spoke. Yami recovered first and threw his arms around his aibou's neck as a sign of gratitude. Yugi blushed faintly at the close contact.

//Thank you so much for getting that annoying idiot off my back, aibou!!//

/No problem./ "Anyways, I just called Ryou's cell. He said he'll be here shortly, and told me that we could go into the pool first."

"Anything to get away from this deranged girl." The two hurried into the men's changeroom before Téa could react. And when she did, the door was locked tightly shut and muffled laughter came from it. She whipped around sharply as the joyful clatter of voices walked towards her.

Ryou and the others walked down the hall, each with a bag either slung over their shoulders or half-dragging it along the ground. Some of them still looked drowsy, as though had not enough sleep. 

"Hey, wassup, Téa?" Ryou said brightly, obviously at the height of his best spirits.

Téa growled and stomped off to the women's changeroom. Mai shrugged and followed her at a safe distance behind. The others sweatdropped at Téa's behaviour, but since they know that she's like that, they just changed into their swimming attires, chatting excitedly.

Yugi made a neat dive into the deep end of the pool with Yami standing on the deck, looking on in awe. He didn't know that Yugi was such a great swimmer, and had an excellent body that was kept in shape! 

Yugi surfaced, his hair sloppy wet and clung on to his face. He impatiently swatted his blonde bangs out of his wide, violet eyes that Yami adored so much and turned to face his darker half. "Come on, Yami. Get into the pool."

Yami just stood there, not moving in his green polka-dot trunks. He looked nervously at his hikari and shook his head.

"Oh, come on! It's not THAT bad! You wouldn't want Bakura, Malik, and Marik to see you looking all scared, would you?" Yugi teased, knowing full well that anything that had to do with those three would bring the confidence, fire, and determination back into his crimson eyes.

Those words touched a nerve in Yami. However, either that he was getting cold from cold air blowing through the vent or just he was stupified by his aibou's antics, he didn't move a single inch. Yugi's gaze softened a bit and continued.

"It's okay to be afraid, Yami. But I'm sure you've swam in the Nile when you were back in Egypt..."

"SWIMMING, SWIMMING, IN A SWIMMING POOL. WHEN DAYS ARE HOT, WHEN DAYS ARE COLD, IN A SWIMMING POOL! BREASTSTROKES, SIDESTROKES, FANCY DIVING TOO! AND DON'T YOU WISH YOU EVER HAD ANYTHING ELSE TO DO!!!" Ryou's energetic voice came from the changeroom and the blurred vision of a silvery-white-headed boy in light blue trunks dunked into water and fought violently across the pool to meet Yugi. Bakura, Malik, Marik, Seto, Joey, Mai, Yami, Duke, and Tristan all sweatdropped at the teen's strange actions. Yugi laughed softly and tugged on Yami's hand. Yami let a smile grace his lips at Yugi's expression and slipped into the rippled pool.

"GAHHH!!!" Bakura screamed as a "tidal wave" washed over him. "This water is possessed!"

Ryou sighed, his spirits dropping a bit. "Bakura, didn't you know how to swim when you were in Egypt? Ever swam in the Nile?" He raised an amused eyebrow at Bakura's hair.

"Yeah, Tomb Robber, didn't you learn how to swim in the Nile? Or did you drown when the water was up to your knees?" Yami sneered.

/Yami, be nice!/

"Shut up, Pharaoh! For your information, you couldn't swim either!"

And Yami shut up at that statement.

/I told you so~!/ Yugi sighed in the real world. "Looks like we'll have to teach them swimming, ne, Ryou?"

Ryou heaved another loud sigh. "I don't know about the teaching part...but if it means having water fun afterwards, go for it!" 

Yugi turned to his yami. "Ok, Yami, first lay on your back in the water and relax." Yami reluctantly laid on his back and floated on the calm water. Yugi smiled. "Great, Yami!" 

Ryou looked his yami and sighed. \Oh God, here we go.\

\\ Shut up, hikari. Is being my aibou embarrasing? Watch me do better than that Pharaoh no baka!\\ Bakura unconsciously fell backwards with a loud PLOP.

"Ha! Look at me, aibou! I'm floating! I'm floa-AHHHHHHHH!! Help me, aibou! I'm sinking! I'm sinkin-" the rest of Bakura's sentence was silenced by the bubbling of water covering him.

Ryou's eyes widened in horror as his yami clawed at the water, trying to reach the surface. The hikari searched frantically in the water for his beloved yami's arm and tugged with all his might.

"Bakura! Bakura! Are you okay? Did you drink any water!? Oh no! You might get secondary drowing! Please! Someone call the ambulance!" Ryou dragged his unconscious yami out of the pool and onto the dry deck. "Bakura! Answer me!" Tears welled up in Ryou's chocolate brown eyes. "Bakura, don't leave me, please. I need you, don't go, please! WAHHH!!!" 

((Me: Oh God, that dialogue sounded so pathetic...-__-;;;))

"When will you shut up and stop being so retarded?" Bakura sat up and smirked at his hikari. Ryou gasped and stared at his yami, eyes sparkling with tears. He hugged Bakura tightly and started sobbing. Bakura frowned. "What's your problem? OK, there there, it's okay." Ryou pulled away from his darker side and sobbed silently, burying his head in the crook of his neck. Bakura smiled and tilted his lighter half's chin up. 

((Me: And you'll probably guessed they kissed and yeah...but I want to leave them alone for a while and return to Yugi and Yami. KAWAII!!! ^.^))

Yugi looked at Ryou and Bakura on the deck, making out, and sighed. "I swear, aren't we here to do sports? They could do that very well at home."

"Aibou," Yami grunted from his position. "Can I stand now?"

Yugi whipped around at the sound Yami's voice. He relaxed as Yami was still floating peacefully on the water. "No," he said firmly. "Turn around on your stomach and hold your breath. See how long you can last." 

"I feel like a dog," he muttered before he flipped over on to his front obediently. Almost instantly he was flipped back to his original position.

"Oh?" Yugi asked 'innocently'. "Then am I the master? Since I'm the one who solved the Millennium Puzzle and freed you from darkness and bonded with you..." The supposedly innocently teen grinned mischieviously at Yami's shocked face.

"Wh-at?" Yami spluttered, water dripping into his mouth. In an attempt to push it all back out, he coughed violently. "Did I hear correctly? My sweet little aibou saying this stuff while looking all sweet and stuff?"

Yugi's grin grew bigger. "You heard right, Yami! Now, back to holding your breath before I have to shove it in there!"

"That just sounded SO wrong!" Yami growled and dunked his head into the pool. Deciding to play a trick on his hikari, he moved off a bit.

Thirty seconds passed and Yami still haven't surfaced for air. Yugi began to worry. Normally after fifteen seconds people pop out of the water and would be gasping for breath right now. 

"Yami? Yami! Where are you!?"

~ To be Continued ~

Authoress' Notes:

Princess Strawberry: I know I'm cruel. Not updating as fast as you guys hoped, leaving off a cliffhanger (even though you know that Yami's okay anyways), and a short chapter at that. But hey, I had to leave it SOMEWHERE!

Yami Strawberry: Make up all the excuses you want, it's not going to work.

Princess Strawberry: T__T You're SO supportive. -___- Anyways, look for an update in "Ski Trip" after this...I'm almost done. Just a couple more pages to go...heehee...

Yugi: Now what happened to your history textbook?

Yami: Yeah, and your notes?

Princess Strawberry: That reminds me. I have my music history exam on May 9th, so I'll be cramming in for that. Don't expect TOO too much updates...but check my bio! I have some more ideas up, just don't steal them! Or else you'll have to answer to my Frying Pan of Doom!

Yami Strawberry: And my Flamethrower!

Yugi: And my all powerful CHIBI EYES!!

Yami: *sweatdrops* Hey, don't look at me! I won't hurt you...maybe except to send you to the Shadow Realm. *winks* Read and Review, peoples! *blows kisses*


	4. Swimming Pool Part II

Princess Strawberry: Heehee...me evil, ne? ^-~ Sorta a mini-cliffhangie in the last chappie where Yami played a trick on Yugi. ^^ Just had to end it off somewhere...and thanks a lot to all of you who reviewed! Eighty-seven for three chapters!? @__@ Wow...

Yami Strawberry: Oh, so now you're praising yourself?

Princess Strawberry: Of course not! I'm just...encouraging myself.

Yami: *sarcastically* Oh yes. Just encouraging.

Princess Strawberry: *sighs* Whatever. Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Now go away! *makes shooing motion* And on with the second part of the swimming pool highness! -^__^-

~*~ "Speaking"

'Thinking'

_stress of word_

/Yuugi speaking to Yami telepathically/

//Yami speaking to Yuugi telepathicaly//

\Ryou speaking to Bakura telepathically\

\\ Bakura speaking to Ryou telepathically\\

=Malik speaking to Ishtar telepathically=

==Ishtar speaking to Malik telepathically==

A/N: Us interrupting you readers for a few seconds

Feeling Sporty?

"Yami!?" Yuugi cried anxiously as the still water showed no sign of movement. "Where are you!?"

Yami sniggered mentally, unheard by Yuugi. 'Oh, you'll get a very unpleasant surprise very soon, aibou...' And with as little movement as possible, he swam away.

"Yuugi!" Jounouchi called. "It's time to go!"

'Already?' Yuugi though frantically as there was still no bubbling of water to signal that Yami was within the area. "But Jou..."

"NO BUTS!!" Jounouchi hollered. "IT'S ALMOST ELEVEN THIRTY AND I'M STARVIN'!"

The others sweatdropped. Kaiba ventured forth to ask the hungry Jounouchi a question. "Hey, Katsuya..."

"What do you want NOW, Kaiba?" Jou seethed.

Kaiba was taken aback. The usual grinning-like-an-idiot face was gone, and was replaced by a mask one of fury and anger. What happened to the old Jounouchi he did not know, but intended full well to find out.

"Looks like no one told you to interrupt Jou's stampede of food rage," Honda commented, staying at a safe distance from the said boy. "The best thing to do now is to let his temper cool down."

"Well, considering that he rarely hangs out with people..." Otogi muttered under his breath, leaving his sentence unfinished.

Kaiba heard him though. He blinked, unsurfaced anger bubbling inside of him. It wasn't HIS fault that he didn't know; he had more important matters at hand than these fools! He growled. He was determined to go all out to find out all about Jounouchi, and to stop his childish behaviour before it got way out of hand.

Ignoring Honda's advice about the dangers that lie ahead, Kaiba stepped towards the blond boldly. "Jounouchi, listen to me."

Jounouchi turned around, and hungry, prowling eyes landed on the brunette that now stood in front of him. "For the last time, Kaiba, leave me alone!" 

Refusal was blunt.

"No."

Blinking rather owlishly, Jounouchi dropped his gaze and his eyes wandered to where Yuugi was still searching frantically for his yami. He knew both boys' untold feelings toward each other, and for that he was envious. At least they care about each other to the point of sometime letting it slip that their guardian-protector relationship was beyond what they thought was "just-friends". 

'Why can't I just admit my feelings?' Jounouchi thought angrily.

'Because it's Seto Kaiba, your worst enemy, a billionaire, CEO of Kaib-'

'Oh shut up.' He snapped at his inner voice.

'It's the sad, sad truth. Face it, kid.'

Oh great. Now he's talking to himself for one whole minute.

"Oi, Yuug'! You need some help?" he shouted, desperately trying to get his mind off the subjects, specifically about a certain brunette.

"Can you see Yami from over there, Jou?" Yuugi shouted back.

"Erm...wait! I see red...oh, that's just someone else's hair." He sighed in disappointment. "Yuug', wait, okay? I'll run around the pool to see if I can spot him."

BLEEP! BLEEP!

"No running on deck!" the girl lifeguard blew her whistle once more. "You, blondie, stop right there!" she came fast-walking. Her black braids hung loosely at around her shoulderblades. Underneath the white lifeguard uniform shirt was a lavendar swimsuit.

YS: Why does this remind of someone?  
PS: ^^; I just couldn't resist but insert myself in here as a lifeguard. What!? I DID take swimming lessons before. Supposedly to be me before I cut my hair. *grumbles

"Whoa, miss, I was just trying to help my friend find his lost friend!"

"And who might be your friend be?" she asked coldly, finding that an unreasonable excuse for running on the deck. Rules are rules, no exception.

"Yuugi Motou."

Her eyes widened. "Not the Yuugi Motou who won the Duelist Kingdom championship and emerged as victor in the Battle City Tournament!?"

"That's him, miss."

"Oi! You should have told me earlier!" she took off (not running - she still had the lifeguard reputation to maintain) towards the direction of the tri-coloured boy.

"You didn't give me a chance!" Jounouchi called after her.

The lifeguard flung off her shirt and made a graceful dive into the water. She made several powerful strokes that propelled her directly in front of the young duelist. Jounouchi and the other guys' jaws (all except Kaiba, whose face remained neutral, unimpressed) dropped open.

"Yuugi?"

He turned around, face showing temporary relief before turning into disappointment. "Yes?" his voice held agitation.

"I'm here to help you find your yami."

Slowly the disappointment melted away to be replaced with eagerness and recognition. "You...you're Kaoru! The one who won first place in the past eight years of music competition! On piano OR flute! You were fantastic!"

She blushed at the praise.

YS: NANI!? You're not THAT good!   
PS: --; It's a story, YS. Let my pride shine.

"Demo...what are you doing here as a lifeguard?"

With the red patches still stained to her cheeks, she replied off-handedly, "Part time volunteer job."

"Volunteer job?"

"They were lacking a lifeguard at the time. When that guy comes back from who-knows-where, I'll be back to my musical life." She grumbled under her breath. "And I hope soon, because I'm getting sick of this job." She raised her voice a little higher. "But enough of that right now. We still have to find your darker half!"

The words jolted Yuugi back to the present situation. "Oh yeah!" he smiled sheepishly.

"Now, Yuugi, how long ago was it when you last saw your yami?"

Yuugi thought for a minute and then replied, "I think it was fifteen minutes ago."

"Fifteen, huh?" Kaoru pondered on this piece of information. "Around here?"

"Around here," the duelist confirmed.

"Then he couldn't have stayed underwater for that long, even for a spirit," she analyzed. "Could he disappear into the Senne Puzzle even if he's not wearing it?"

"Sometimes. It depends on the situation and the level of emergency he feels."

Kaoru raised an eyebrow. "You seem to know a lot about him."

This time it was Yuugi who got very red in the face. "Well, we're half of a soul...I feel what he feels, and he feels what I feel."

The lifeguard smirked at Yuugi's predicament. She lowered her face to his level. "Then you know how he feels about a certain somebody?" she poked him gently on the chest with her long index finger.

Yuugi turned his head, face turning scarlet. "You're getting off topic," he stuttered.

"Too true," she grinned. 'That's one mystery solved for me!'

"How about you look in the changerooms just in case he disappeared into the Sennen Puzzle? I'll look around here." Before Yuugi could utter a protest, Kaoru pushed him to the shallow end and hoisted him up. She leaned on the tiles and grinned. "Go on!"

Yuugi turned to look at her before going in the men's changerrom, but she had already gone under the chlorine water, searching for his darker half.

'All right, Pharaoh no baka, even if you can hide from Yuugi, you can't hide from me,' Kaoru thought angrily as she kicked off for the deep end for the fifth time that day. She thought carefully. Her eyes lit up as an idea occurred to her. Nobody would ever think of looking for Yami THERE!

"Brilliant!" she told herself quietly as she was scooting up the stairs.

"Alright, Pharaoh no baka, hiding time's over! It's explanation time!" she muttered as she stalked up to the figure that was crouching by the corner, overcame with helpless laughter.

She tapped him on the shoulder, and when he didn't respond, she yanked him up by the neck. His head whipped around, ruby eyes startled that someone discovered his hiding spot.

"Pharaoh no baka, explain yourself," she hissed at his face. 

He remained silent, though a self-satisfied smirk worked its way to his lips.

"Explain yourself!" Kaoru was positively mad by now. "Pharaoh no baka, you'd better have a good explanation as to _why_ you scared Yuugi half to death!"

Yami was speechless, to say the least. This isn't the kind of reaction he expected from Yuugi. He thought he could be more of a stronger person...he didn't plan for this! 

"Where's Yuugi?" he asked frantically.

Kaoru crossed her arms. "You're not going anywhere, buster, until you explain your childish behaviour."

Yami's eyes blazed with life. "I'm a PHARAOH, for Ra's sak-"

"You're not a Pharaoh anymore."

Yami faltered a bit before regaining his composure. "Well, fine, I'm still older than you."

She shook her head. "Older than me doesn't give you the privilege to scare the daylights out of someone."

Yami was practically seething by now. "Look, miss, just get of the way so I can find my aibou and comfort him!"

Her eyes softened. "Yuugi means a lot to you, doesn't he?"

He shifted. Could he trust her on his secret? After all, she _did_ just yell at him. With shifty eyes, he started to tell his tale; from the beginning, where he was released from the Sennen Puzzle, and the progressing days on how his crush on his lighter counterpart constantly grew. 

Kaoru listened attentively, and when Yami finished, she sighed. "Yami, why don't you just go tell him?"

"I can't!" he cried. "Aibou would hate me!"

"I'm sure he won't," she said soothingly, a mischievous glint in here eyes.

He raised an elegant eyebrow. "And how would you know?"

"I have my sources," she grinned. "Now, why don't we go back to your friends and you can apologize."

"Excuse me!?" he jumped up. "I am NOT apologizing to those three Egyptians."

"Everyone's hungry, you big baby, so just get it over with." She quickly descended the stairs after making sure Yami got on his feet and followed her.

They reached the rest of the gang. 

"Hey, Yami, what took you, buddy?" Jounouchi asked immediately. "Yuugi was worried sick about you."

The guilt piled up on Yami's conscience. Kaoru nudged him in the ribs. "Say it now," she hissed at him.

"Look, guys," Yami began, catching everyone's attention. "I'm really sorry about this...delaying our lunch time. I didn't really mean it..."

"Aw, it's okay, man!" Jounouchi gave him a slap that almost smacked him back to the shallow end.

"Jounouchi!" Anzu shrieked. "Watch what you're doing!" She hurried over to Yami's side and latched on to his arm like no tomorrow. "Are you alright, Yami-chan?"

Everyone groaned at this display. Yami, with his free hand, rubbed his temple in a very frustrated manner. As much as he loved getting attention, this is _not_ the person he wants to receive it from. 

"Anzu," he said in an extremely calm but dangerous voice. But Anzu, being the idiot that she is, hasn't noticed the change in tone. "Could you PLEASE get off of me? If you don't," he paused for a minute, mind searching for a good threat. "I'll hate you for life." 'As if I don't already do.'

Her eyes widened fearfully. "Y-you w-wou..uldn't, Yami-chan!" fake tears started to gather up at the bottom of her eyes.

"Yes I will if you don't let go right now," Yami said coldly, trying to wrenchs himself free without Anzu's co-operation.

Without thinking, Anzu glomped Yami. "Aww...who are you trying to scare?"

//OH MY RA I THINK I'M GOING TO LOSE IT SOON!// Pratically immobilized by Anzu, Yami stood glaring at her. Nobody wanted to come near, for fear that they too, would be in a death-grip. 

Kaoru stood there, anger boiling inside her. 'Oh no, she's not going to ruin any chance of Yami admitting his feelings for Yuugi!' As a lifeguard of the swimming pool, she had the power to banish anyone from it. This gave her a great idea.

BLEEP! BLEEP!

She blew her whistle to catch their attention. At her position, Anzu looked like she was doing rather inappropriate things to Yami. A/N: Arg, I can't believe I actually WROTE that! x.x;

"You're Mazaki, right?" Kaoru asked, staring at her.

"No, no, I'm Anzu, not Mazaki."

"Whatever. This is the _pool_, miss, and we do not tolerate anyone who tries to suffocate another."

"Oh, that's okay, I'm not suffocating anyone," she said happily.

Kaoru gave her whistle three short beats, then three long, then three short again. Other lifeguards marched out and surrounded Anzu and Yami.

"Take the girl out," Kaoru ordered. They nodded and dragged a screaming Anzu out to front entrance. One of them grinned, opened the door, and kicked her outside, leaving her in her ugly swimsuit in wide public. Faint laughter reached her ears before she banged on the door, demanding entry.

"Forget it!" one of them shouted, chewing on a doughnut. 

"We're not letting you in!" another called. 

She stood there until the messages got through her brain. "AAAAAARRRRGHHH!!!!" she screamed to the sky, where several people looked at her weirdly and dug wildly into their groceries bag.

"You're a disgrace to public!" the women yelled, throwing apples or tomatoes at her. "Geez, you would have thought that girls these days would dress a bit wild, but this is ridiculous!"

Anzu ducked behind the giant pine tree and waited with baited breath. The women moved away with their kids, muttering, "Oh no, now I have to spend _more_ money to buy my wasted food on some blasted girl."

Meanwhile, the boys, Shizuka, and Mai changed back to their usual attire. They invited Kaoru to eat lunch with them, and she agreed, since there was another lifeguard on the shift.

"Hey, Kaoru!" another almost identical girl ran up to her. "Finally, your shift's off?"

"Sister!" the lifeguard ran to her happily. "How come you're here?"

"Taking you out to lunch, of course!" she smiled broadly. Her braces flashed at her surroundings. A loosely tied ponytail was hanging from the back. She then noticed the people behind her younger sister, and asked, "who are they?"

"My new friends I met today!" she rattled off the names rather hurriedly. 

"It's nice to meet you all," Kouichi greeted. "As a treat, I'll take you all out for lunch!"

Cheers erupted from the group. "Be careful to what you agree to, Kouichi! Jounouchi alone can use up all your money!" Kaoru laughingly told her older sister.

"Hey, I'm not THAT much of a pig!" he said with some dignity, even though he was smiling widely.

Bickers and playful insults led all the way to their destination.

~ To be Continued ~

Authoress' Notes:

Princess Strawberry: Hope that wasn't too boring. ^^; Probably was, I don't mind if you point that out to me. There was a HUGE writer's block...*sighs* Hate it, don't you? And if this chapter had too much Mary Sue in it too, don't hesitate to tell me that too. ^_^ Don't you just love criticism? 

Yami Strawberry: Yup, she's definitely off her rocker. 

Princess Strawberry: Anyway, here're the choices for the next chapter: 

1. Biking [got the suggestion from dark fairy]

2. Basketball

3. Volleyball 

4. Beach Volleyball

5. Soccer

Please read and review, guys! Maybe I can get the next chapter out more sooner than this one...*kicks script*


	5. Luncheon Debate

(Late-)UPDATED in honour of _HikariChang _(again, birthday in July!)!

Princess Strawberry: Well, as promised, I will update this soon enough…after Ski Trip.

Yami Strawberry: O.O Yeah, I have to admit, that's a first…

Princess Strawberry: -.-; FINE. Be rude. Anyway, a big thank you to all who made this possible: 127 reviews in a short four chapters! (See, I'd do all those happy faces and stuff, but noooo, the QuickEdit just has to take out those stuff. [pouts] )

And so, counting up all the votes: BEACH VOLLEYBALL wins!! Yay!! [realizes no one is celebrating either] Aww, fine…here's the long-awaited chapter 5!

Keys: "Speaking", 'Thinking', /Hikari speaking to his own respective yami/ (due to the stupid changes, I can't do the other "fancy" stuff.), _[A/N: Comments, not actions...]_

Warning:Just a word of advice… "Language, Kaoru, language!" o.o; Get me? Good.

__

Feeling Sporty?

"Here we are!" Kouichi announced. "I present to you the Amatsu Houkou [1]!"

Jounouchi's mouth immediately started to water at the sight of a place to eat. "Well? What are we all waiting for!? Let's go eat!!" In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Kaoru's and Kouichi's jaws fell open. Yuugi laughed. "That's Jou for you."

Kouichi shook her head. "I don't believe this. I brought a _pig_ with me to an expensive restaurant. I. Am. Such. An. Idiot."

Kaoru smiled. "Well, sis, this will be a lesson to you. And come on, we'd better go in before Jounouchi orders everything and leaves the bill for you."

"Good point."

When they were in, they found themselves face to face with six people holding back Jounouchi. He was trying all his might to get loose, something he was failing miserably.

Kaoru and Kouichi sweatdropped at Jounouchi's behaviour.

"Hey, Kouichi!" a female voice called. A hand somewhere down the row was waving at the black haired girl.

"No way…Akiko!?" Kouichi exclaimed, walking down the aisle. "Since when did you start working here?"

"Half a year ago. Really, Kouichi, you're so slow on the uptake." Akiko shook her head, hiding a smile.

But an explosion of laughter behind Kouichi set her face into a fully ripe tomato colour. Akiko peered around Kouichi's shoulder and spotted Kaoru. "And you must be Kouichi's sister!"

Kaoru managed to stop her laughter to say a greeting. "Hai, Kaoru desu." Then she collapsed into helpless laughter again.

Kouichi was less amused. "All right, break it up, break it up…"

The others continued to chuckle, but headed to a table large enough to fit all of them. Still jesting about Kouichi's predicament, they took up their menus and began browsing through them.

"Ooh, I want this!" Jounouchi exclaimed as he glanced down at all the delicacies' names. "And this! Oh, this looks delicious too!"

Kouichi was still muttering to herself, not believing her "luck".

Akiko wandered over, notepad and pen in each hand. "Ready to order, guys?"

"You betcha," Jounouchi said before anyone else had a chance to open their mouths to speak their own minds. "I'll take a Caesar salad, a half chicken and vegetables platter, and a large banana split."

"Uh, sir," Akiko peered over her notepad to scrutinize the young blond before her. "Jounouchi, is it?" – Jounouchi looked surprised that a waitress at this new restaurant would know his name – "I'm not sure if you can eat all that you ordered…"

Mai laughed. "Oh forget about that. Jou can eat about anything at any given amount of time."

"Hey, watch it."

"It's true," fifteen other voices corrected him.

"Aww, fine," Jounouchi slouched down in his seat, beaten down.

The rest of them ordered at a much lower scale in comparison with Jounouchi's order.

"Well, at least you guys have expected shares," Akiko raised an eyebrow. She walked back to the counter to place their orders, while Jounouchi still sulked in his seat.

-----

"Tada, lunch is served!" Akiko announced, carrying many platters of food towards their table. Jounouchi's face immediately brightened when the different aromas surrounded them.

"Oh goodie!" He said, childishly, as Akiko placed his large order in front of him.

"Quarter pound cheeseburger with fries… Pasta with meatballs… Alfredo pasta… Pepperoni pizza… Ooh, garden salad, at least someone's eating healthy… Filet-o-fish sandwich… Regular club sandwich… Cheese pizza… Hearty vegetable and chicken soup with dinner roll… Set lunch… Two hamburgers for you two… And, oh, this must be yours, Kid's set lunch!"

Mokuba looked up and smiled at her in thanks. Seto glanced up with an icy glare, as if to say "leave now before any bodily damage comes to you". Akiko gave a small "eep!" before edging away to serve another table.

"So…" Otogi started, grabbing his fork and started to twirl around his spaghetti. "What can we do after lunch?"

"How about soccer?" Honda suggested, who was starting on his filet-o-fish sandwich.

"Nah, it's way too nice to be just running around on the field kicking a ball," Anzu spoke up, mouth still filled with food. "Oops, sorry there, Yuugi…" For Yuugi had just caught a face full of vegetables.

"No problem, Anzu…just remember, next time, swallow before you speak. Please?" Yuugi grabbed his napkin and started to rub at his face furiously. (Meanwhile, Yami was glaring daggers at the girl who had apparently spitted in his aibou's face. And no one did that while the protective Yami is around.)

"Yeah, I'll do that. So, anyway, I propose we go biking!" Anzu stared around at the table, waiting for a response.

"No way. We're not going biking." Bakura protested instantly. "No. Bloody. Way."

"Aww, why not, Tomb Robber…afraid of falling off and scraping your knee?" The past-Pharaoh asked teasingly.

Bakura growled. "No. It's just…" his face coloured.

Malick's eyes lit up as he figured out Bakura's problem with biking. "Don't tell me you don't know _how_!?"

Bakura has just found out how nice the scenery of Domino City looked.

Yami was on the verge of dancing with glee. "Oh, this is great! What a way to blackmail!"

Bakura's gaze snapped back to Yami. "No you won't! No bloody way are you going to _blackmail_ me just because I can't ride a stupid bicycle! In fact, I'll show you! We'll have a…competition!" Bakura sniggered triumphantly at his word use. He knew Yami would never back down from a challenge. "Yes, a competition, to see who can ride the farthest in the smallest amount of time on a bicycle! You heard me, Pharaoh, let's get a move on!"

Ryou shrunk away from him, looking slightly terrified. "Bakura, sit down, you're scaring half the restaurant into oblivion."

Bakura blinked. "Oh." And he sat down.

Jou, Honda, Otogi, and Mokuba barely stifled their laughter at the sight of Bakura's slightly embarrassed face.

"Ugh, I don't think we should be biking today anyway," Mai said, after all the commotion has calmed down.

"Oh, and why not?" Otogi inquired.

"I'm wearing a skirt, damnit! How do you expect me to ride a bicycle with a _skirt_!?"

"Mai's right, and besides, we don't have our helmets with us." Shizuka is always the voice of reason with great evidence to back it up. Unlike a certain somebody who just felt like opening their big mouths and sing to the world. Oh joy.

"Oh fine, I see that my suggestion is going to be turned down," Anzu sulked, but no one really paid much attention to her afterwards. She slid down her seat, trying to attract some sort of concentration from the people around her, but it just didn't work.

"How about beach volleyball?" Mokuba exclaimed. "Yeah, that'd be perfect! It's such an excellent day, with no clouds in the sky! Besides, we just finished at the pool…so if anyone feels like going for another dip, they've got a body of water right there!"

A murmur of agreement rose from the table.

"Okay, then it's decided! Beach volleyball!" Mokuba's eyes turned into those adoring puppy eyes and faced his big brother. "So, what say you, Seto?"

Seto glanced up, apparently not taking in a word the company has been saying for the past ten minutes. "Hmm?" Oh great. He just had to stare into great big eyes. "What is it now, Mokuba?" He heaved a sigh, wondering what request his little brother have in store for him this time.

"Can we go to that private beach, Seto? Please?"

"Nani!?"

"Come on, Seto, it'll be great! No one can disturb us when we want a volleyball net to ourselves! And besides, it'll be so crowded at the public beaches, when we get there, there won't be any room left! Oh, go on, Seto, let us!" Mokuba pleaded, eyes getting bigger as he spoke each word.

As if that wasn't enough for poor Seto, the rest of the gang started to urge him to do so as well. Statements such as "Oh come on, Kaiba, don't be such a meanie!" and "Kaiba, you big dork, just agree to your little brother's appeal and get a move on!" rushed around the CEO's head and he found himself getting a headache already.

"Guys, give him a break," Jounouchi spoke up softly, noting Seto's stressed look.

The others gave him an appraising look. Jounouchi Katsuya, standing up for his archenemy, Seto Kaiba?

"The world has come to an end!" Yami exclaimed, and the others echoed that with a nod.

Jounouchi looked cross, for some reason. "Look, it's no big deal."

"No big deal?" Ryou nearly had to stuff his mouth with his fist to prevent him from laughing so much. "Jou, think who you were just defending!"

"So?"

They all sighed simultaneously. "You are _so_ clueless," Mai smacked him on the head.

"So?"

The others were all too annoyed to answer that. "Forget it," Mariku said.

Akiko came around to collect their empty plates and dirty utensils. She looked confused as to why the whole table was so silent, but Kaoru and Kouichi merely whispered: "Don't ask." She shrugged and went to dump the dishes in the kitchen.

Mokuba finally spoke up once again. "Does this mean we're still going to play beach volleyball this afternoon?" He looked up at his big brother with big hopeful and expectant eyes.

A tense moment of silence followed after his question. And then-

"Fine."

They all cheered, scaring more than half of the restaurant into oblivion once more.

-----

[30 minutes later]

"Okay, everyone have their stuff packed and ready to go? Yes? Let's go!"

Seto turned to Mokuba. "Remind me again why you want _us_ to take _them_," he pointed a finger at the chattering crowd behind him, "to our private beach resort?"

Mokuba smiled happily. "Because, onii-chan, it's been _ages_ since you used that beach resort, and besides, it'll be so fun to have such a big company with us! And hey, big brother, you need a break from all the workload you've been doing. Who knows, maybe this is exactly the lapse you need from work!" The little raven-black-haired boy laughed and thought, 'And maybe Jou might do such the trick.' A very uncharacteristic smirk found its way to Mokuba's lips. "Ha."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, hey, where's Kaoru? And Kouichi?" Yuugi popped the question to everyone as they assembled at the limo, which was provided by Kaiba Corp Inc.

"I heard they had to leave and attend to some errand their mother set on them," Otogi suddenly said. "Sorry, they told me to pass on the message, but I guess it slipped my mind."

"That's okay…" Yuugi sighed. "And it was fun with them around too."

"I'm sure we'll see them again, aibou," Yami said encouragingly, taken it upon himself to make Yuugi content.

"You're right, Yami," Yuugi smiled and hugged his darker half around the middle. "I was foolish to think they would disappear from our lives entirely."

Yami turned a bright red as his aibou hugged him for a full two minutes.

The trip itself was quite uneventful, and that certainly was a first. By uneventful, it means that only two incidents have happened. One was when Jounouchi decided to tell jokes, and one happened to be so hilarious everyone was sent laughing; even Seto cracked a smile. The driver literally "jumped out from his skin", and as a result, the limo skidded to a halt, and everyone was thrown off their seats, in very compromising positions for certain people in the vehicle. _[A/N: My my, does that sound familiar or what?] _The other incident was of everyone complaining to Jounouchi, and certain people blushing until the end of the trip. In the end, everyone fell silent, and Jounouchi was sulking at the window.

"We're here, we're here, we're here, we're here, we're here, we're he-"

"All right, Mokuba, we get the point," Seto said crossly, still annoyed about the whole trip.

Excitement ran through the entire limo from the front to the back. They writhed, squirmed, and twisted, all impatient to get out of the limo and finally stretch their legs, after an hour-long ride.

"Welcome to Kaiba Corp Private Beach Resort. We hope all of you will have a fantastic time here. We will come back and pick you up in two days' time." The driver announced as everyone and everything was taken out of the limo. "Enjoy your stay!"

Seto Kaiba could _not_ believe his luck.

-----

The sun was partly hidden behind some clouds, but nonetheless they all had a very enjoyable time.

"HA! Take _THAT_, Tomb Robber!"

Bakura groaned. "Why me?" He stared above him at the sky and roared, "_WHY ME!?!?"_

"Bakura, watch out!" Yuugi squealed, before covering them with his hands, unable to watch what came afterwards.

"Huh? Wh-" His question never came out properly, for someone has just spiked the ball over net, and hit Bakura squarely in the face.

"'Kura!" Ryou squeaked, rushing over to him. "Are you all right?" he asked worriedly.

Bakura shook his head, flinging his long white hair out of his field of vision. "I'm fine, Ryou. But the person who did this to me," Bakura pointed at his now bloody nose, "is not."

Two suspicious shadows moved slightly off the court.

"OI! MALICK, MARIKU, I'LL HAVE YOU!!" Bakura chased after them, blood flying freely behind him.

"Come and catch us!" They shouted back, still running.

Jounouchi, Honda, and Otogi snickered at the sight of a half-naked Bakura chasing two half-naked Egyptians.

Yami was too busy staring at Yuugi (who, by the way, was worrying over the fight just like Ryou) to notice that Mai was calling him.

Shizuka was building a sandcastle with Mokuba off to one side, safe from all the trouble. Yes, just leave it to the "grown-ups" to deal with all the difficulties.

And Anzu? No one really bothered to find out where she went. She probably went into the water, trying to do some impressive water moves, but got drowned in the process.

Seto Kaiba rubbed his temple. His beach, _his private_ _beach_, was being contaminated by blood. _Blood! BLOOD!! _Of all body substances, it had to be _BLOOD!!_

A nagging voice whispered to him, "Well, at least it's not _that_ other substance, right? Be thankful it's not _that_."

Seto Kaiba shook his head. He was starting to lose it. He was _talking to himself_, for God's sake!

He could barely believe it, but was relieved when they all said they'd retire for the day.

But that didn't stop the chaos at all, as Seto Kaiba found out the hard way.

- To be Continued –

[1] "Amatsu Houkou" = Heavenly Aroma (Lame, I know. XD) . Someone can correct me if the grammar's wrong.

Princess Strawberry: Okay! There we go. Updated! Whoohoo!

Since they're going to be "camping-out" at Seto's beach resort, what other beach sports have you guys got in mind? Suggestions, anyone? [does the puppy dog eyes]

So now, be so kind as to **review**. A lot of wonders are created when you give me feedback! Hee!


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